Summary
This report addresses the following agreement, laid before Parliament in accordance with section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG), which we report to the special attention of the House:
- Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CP 674, 2022)
We bring the agreement to the attention of the House on the grounds that it is politically important and gives rise to issues of public policy that the House may wish to debate prior to ratification. While we welcome the ratification of the Convention, it is regrettable that this is only happening a decade after it was signed, and we are concerned about the Government’s proposed reservations. In particular, we do not see any justification for the reservation to the Article that provides for the granting of autonomous residency permits to women who have suffered domestic violence and abuse, but who depend on their spouse or partner for their residence status. We regret that the Government has not ensured that the Convention can be ratified without such reservation and recommend that it be subject to review at the earliest opportunity, with clear criteria established for when the reservation might be withdrawn.
A motion which would provide for a debate on the Istanbul Convention will be tabled in the Committee Chair’s name.